Split switch



ug, 32 W24.

R. E. EINSTEIN SPLIT SWITCH Filed Oct. 29. 1923 Patented Aug. "l2, lggll,

ROBERT E. EINSTEN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOUR, ASSGNOR T ST. LOUIS FROG & SWITCH COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOUR, A CORPO'RATON 0F MISSOURI.

srLIT SWITCH.

Application inea october 2a, 1923. serial 1ro. 671,452.

T0 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, ROBERT E. EINSTEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new 5 and useful improvement in Split Switches, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to split switches, and particularly tothe mea-ns used in such railway track structures for supporting the laterally-movable switch pointand the stationary track rail with which said switch point cooperates and for securely holding said rail in position to maintain the proper gauge of the track.

@ne object of my invention is to provide a means of the character referred to that is composed of a' standard or universal slide plate capable of being used with stock rails of different weights or sizes, and an adjustable variable element that co-operates with a rail brace arranged on the outer side of the stock rail to hold the inner edge of the base flange of said rail in engagement with `a shoulder or abutment on said slide plate.

Due to the fact that the slide plate can be used with rails of various weights having 3o base. flanges of different widths, considerable saving in the cost of manufacture and maintenace of such structures is effected by overcoming the necessity of making and keeping on hand a large number of different sized slide plates. Moreover, a standard or universal slide plate makes it possible to change the size of the rails of a split switch,'for example, from a heavy to a light weight rail, or vice versa, without the necessity of removing the slide plates of the switch and replacing them with other plates designed for use with the particular size of rail being installed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel means for supporting andholding the stock rail of a split switch which is of such design that it securely holds said rail to gauge and effectively takes up the vertical and lateral thrusts exerted on said rail in a direction tending to tip it sidewise.

And still another object of my invention is to provide a split switch in which the slide plate and the means that maintains the stock rail in operativeposition on said slide plate are of such design that slight wear and irregularities in size of the co-operating parts of the struct-ure can be compensated for-by adjusting one element of the structure. @ther objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure l of the drawings is a transverse sectional view of a split switch constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the parts illust-rated in Figure l, the stock rail and movable point being shown in horizontal section; and

Figure 3 is an end View of the slide plate, showing the rail brace in side elevation.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, -A designates the stockV rail or stationary track rail of a split switch, B designates the movable point that is adapted to be moved laterally towards and away from the rail A, and C designates a member, commonly referred to as a slide plate 7 that supports the stock rail A and movable point B. The slide plate C is adapted to be spiked or otherwise secured to the ties of the track, and it is provided with a flat, horizontallydisposed bearing surface l on which the switch point B slides. llt is also provided with a depressed seat for the stock rail A formed by a flat surface 2 on which the base iiange 3 of said rail rests and vertically-disposed shoulders 4 and 5 at the ends of the rail flange supporting surface 2. The shoulder 4c forms an abutment against which the inner edge of the base flange 3 of the rail A is held and the shoulder 5 forms an abutment that co-operates with av filler block D which is arranged between said shoulder andthe outer edge of the base flange 3 of the rail A. As shown in Figure 1, the distance between the shoulders 4 and 5 is considerably greater than the width of the base flange 'of the stock rail, thereby enabling the slide plate C to be used with rails of different weights by substituting different sized filler blocks D. It will thus be seen that in my improved split switch the seat for the base flange 3 of the stock rail comprises an integral shoulder or abutment 4 on the slide plate that bears against the inner edge of the base flange of the stock rail, and a variable element, namely, the filler block D which is interposed between the outer edge of the base flange of the stock rail and a separate shoulder or abutment 5 on the slide plate.

The stock rail A is retained in operative I position onfthe slide plate C by means of a rail brace E arranged on the outer side. of rsaisi rail and constructed in such a way that it effectively resists the ,strains exerted on said rail in a direction tending to tilt it sidewise.V .As shown in the drawings, the brace E is constructed in such a way that it will bear against the underside of the head of the rail VA and the topvside of the hase flange dof' saidV rail and it is provided with ka base portion 6 that partially overlaps the filler block D. Said rail brace is held tightly against the rail A by a wedgeshaped, integral portion 7 on the top side of the 'fllerblock D that is interposed between the abutment on the slide plate C and the outerl edge of the base piece 6 of the brace The vouter edge of said ywedge-shaped portion 7 y which bears against the abutment 5 `is parallel to the rail A, but the inner edge of said wedgeshaped portion and the edge of the base piece 6 of the bracerE against `Whichit bears are both inclined slightly relatively to the rail A, as shown in Figure 2. VConsequently, bymoving the filler lock 'D' longitudinally ofthe rail A and transversely of the'slide plate in one direction,

`the wedgefshaped portion 7 on said block will' cofoperate with the inclined edge of the lbase piece 6 ofthe krail brace Epto force said brace inwardly towards the rail A, land cause,l said ybraceto exert sidewise pressure 'on said rail in a direction to force the inner edgeof the. base flange 8 of' the rail tightly against the shoul'derd on the slide plate.

After the lillerrblock D has been adjusted Yto,y force the-inner edge of the hase flange of the vraill into snug engagement with the abutment lv on the slide plate l, said filler block is 4locked in adjusted position, preferably by'means of' a retaining element F positioned between guides 8 on the brace E and' arranged` in overlapping relation with the wedge-shaped portion 7 of the filler block. 4 Thegretaining'element F is provided non its underside with serrations that interf lock with'serrations o n the top side of the YYYwedge-shaped portion 7 of the fillerV block andja/ bolt 9 is provided for drawing said retaining element F downwardly towards the slidefplate. The bolt 9 passes upwardly through the slide Yplate C, through. the filler block'D and through the retaining element F,vt h ey opening inY thed filler block through which said bolt passes consisting of an elongated.' slot, as shown in broken lines in Figure 2, so as to provide for the movement of thefiller block transversely of the slide plate during theoperation of adjusting said fillerblock,V It will, of course, be understood thatl it is necessary to loosen the nut on the bolt 9 sufficiently to permit the retaining element F to be disengaged from the wedge-shaped portion 7 of the filler block D before said filler block can be moved transversely of the slide plate (l so as lo force the inner edge of the basc flange ol the rail A against the shoulder fl on the slide plate.

By constructing a split. switch iu the manner above described I am able to use a standard slide plate with rails of various weights, thereby materially reducing the cost of manufacture and maintenance of such structures, and I overcome thc necesity of taking up the slide plates of a switch whose rails are being replaced hv rails of a different weight. Moreover, such a construction makes it possible to maintain the inner edge of the base flange of the stock rail in snug` engagement with a shoulder provided for same on the slide plate, because a slight adjustment ot the filler block D transversely of the slide plate shifts the co-operating parts of the structure rela tively to each other snlliciently to conipen` sate for slight wear or irregularities in the dimensions of said parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A split switch, comprising a slide plate provided with a depressed seat that has au abutment at one end of same, a movable switch pointslidinglymounted on said plate, a stationary track rail mounted on said seat with the inner end of its base liange beaving against said abutment. a brace arranged on the outer side of said rail. a second abutment on said slide plate at the opposite end of said seat and an adjustable means interposed between said brace and the second abutment on said slide plate tor holding said brace in engagement with said rail and for pressing the inner edge ot the hase, flange of said rail against the abutment on the slideplate first referred to.

2. In a split switch, a slide plaie provided with a depressed seat having abutments at the ends of same, a track rail positioned in said seat and arranged with the inner edge of its base flange in engagement with one of said abutments, a brace arranged on the outer side of said rail` andan adjustable element arranged betwwen said brace and the other abutment on'said slide plat and adapted to be moved in one direction to force said brace into snug engagement with said rail and to force the base flange of said rail into engagement with its cooperating abutment.

3. A split switch, comprising a slide plate, a laterally-movable switch point and a stock rail mounted on said slide plate, an abutment on said slide plate against which the inner edge of the base flange of said rail hears, au

independentv abutment on said slide plate spaced away from the outer edge of the base flange of said rail, a filler block interposed Leoaei between said independent abutment and the flange of the rail, a rail brace arranged on the outer side of the rail, and means on said filler block that co-operates with said rail brace to exert pressure on same in a direction tending to hold the inner edge of the base flange of the rail in snug engagement with the abutment, provided for same on the slide plate. i

4. In a split switch, a slide plate provided with two abutments arranged in spaced relation, a track rail mounted on said plate with the inner edge of its base flange bearing against one of said abutments, a filler block on said slide plate arranged between the other abutment and the outer edge ot the base flange of the rail, a rail brace arranged on the outer side of the rail in overlapping relation with said filler block, and means wherebythe adjustment ol said liller block transversely of the slide plate forces the brace into snug engagement with the rail and forces the inner edge of the base flange of the rail into snug engagement with the abutment provided for same on the slide plate.

e. ln a split switch, a slide plate provided with two abutments arranged in spaced relation, a track rail mounted on said plate with the inner edge of its base flange bearing against one of said abutments, a filler block on said slide plate arranged between the other abutment and the outer edge of the base flange of the rail, a rail brace arranged on the outer side of the rail in overlapping relation with said filler blockj and a wedgeshaped portion on the filler block arranged in sliding engagement with an inclined surface on said rail brace, for the purpose described.

6. In a split switch, a slide plate provided with a depressed seat and two abutments arranged in spaced relation, a track rail mounted in said seat with the inner edge of its base flange bearing against one ot said abutments, a filler block interposed between the other abutment on said plate and the outer edge of the base flange of the rail, a. rail brace arranged on the outer side of the rail and provided with a base piece that laps over said filler block, a wedge-shaped portion on the top side of said filler block that bears against an inclined surface on the base piece of said brace thus causing said brace to clamp the inner edge of the base flange of the rail against its co-operating abutment when the liller block is adjusted in one direction, and means for retaining said filler block in adjusted position.

7. In a split switch, a slide plate provided with two abutments arranged in spaced re lation, a track rail mounted on said plate with the inner edge of its base flange bearing against one of said abutments, a filler block interposed between the other abutment on said plate and the outer edge of the base flange of the rail7 a rail brace arranged on the outer side of the rail and provided with a base piece that laps over said filler block, a wedge-shaped portion on the top side of said filler block that co-opcrates with the base piece of' said brace to clamp the brace against the rail and clamp the inner edge of the base flange of the rail against its cooperating abutment when the ller block is adjusted in one direction, a retaining element arranged between guides on the base piece of the brace and provided on its underside with serrations that co-operate with serrations in the top face of the wedge-shaped portion of the filler block, and a bolt or the like that passes upwardly through the slide plate, liller block and retaining element.

ROBERT E. EINSTEIN. 

